Hoff doesn't see that as a disadvantage.

"I’d rather focus less on titles and more on accomplishments," said Hoff. "She doesn’t have accomplishments to point to as her position as third ranking officer, so I’m curious as to why we should elevate her to first chair."

As YRNF Director of Media Relations Hoff built a media program that put YRNF leaders on most major television networks, winning them 2 million dollars in earned media thus far. Hoff also helped deploy hundreds of YRNF members into swing states in 2006 and 2007 and coordinated a $20 million media program for the National Republican Congressional Committee's media outreach programs.

"When we talk about experience, we shouldn’t be looking for titles, we should be looking for results. And while she has a few more titles, she hasn’t done anything with them," said Hoff.

Hoff grew up on military bases outside the U.S., and was educated at Tufts University in Boston. Shay was born in Arkansas, quit college after her freshman year and joined the Army, where she served for eight years. On her website, Hoff emphasizes her endorsements from Sarah Huckabee and George P. Bush. Shay's website emphasizes her Baptist upbringing and the raising of her two children, 9 and 17.

_______________

The Hoff-Shay showdown comes on the heels of a rather unfortunate episode in YRNF history. The last chairmanship election resulted in a victory for Glenn Murphy Jr., who was ousted less than halfway through his term after an embarrassing sex scandal involving the assault of another man—while he was sleeping.

Shay was part of the team that took over after Murphy left. Despite her deep involvement in YRNF leadership, she still thinks there's still a lot of room for improvement within the organization.

"We believe that there needs to be a new culture and new way to deal with the whole of the organization. We believe it has been kind of a cool kids’ clique, if you will, and we want to be able to bring everybody to the table," said Shay.

Hoff questions whether or not this insider institutional experience life is really what the organization needs most.

"The status quo in this organization is absolutely unacceptable," said Hoff. Barack Obama, 47, took young voters away from John McCain, 72, at a rate of 2-1 in the 2008 presidential election. Hoff thinks that she's the answer to that predicament.

"We’re a forward looking campaign—we’re about vision," she said. "We’re about plans that look for a vision."

Shay currently leads Hoff in endorsements, but Hoff says that she's still very much in the running for the election that will take place at YRNF's National Convention in Indanapolis this week.

"There are a lot delegates in states that have endorsed her that are flying to Indianapolis to vote for me," said